Highway 11

Created in 1926, US Route 11 runs from the Canadian border at Rouses Point, New York, to just shy of New Orleans at an intersection with US-90. In Bristol, Virginia, the highway splits in two -- 11-E and 11-W -- and then reunites in Knoxville, Tennessee. This highway serves as the main thoroughfare for many small towns and cities, and it is known by many names -- Lee Highway, Andrew Johnson Highway, and Kingston Pike, to name a few. As many of the residents of these small towns might attest, it is easy to take a highway for granted when it becomes such an integral part of daily life. In Highway 11, a Creative Writing Graduate Thesis for the University of Tennessee, Devon Koren Asdell has collected a series of interconnected short stories which take place along the route of US-11. In particular, the stories in this collection draw from the rich Appalachian heritage of the region that surrounds the heart of the highway in the mountains of Virginia and East Tennessee. Highway 11 is infused with tales of love, hope, fear, regret, loss, taboo, stagnation, and exploration. These are themes indicative not only to Appalachian culture, but to the modern American spirit, as well

Implementing Scheduled Women’s Health Clinics at Free Student Outreach Clinic

Introduction/Problem: Since 2009, Indiana University Student Outreach Clinic (IU-SOC) has served the underinsured and uninsured members of the Indianapolis community. Many barriers to care exist within this community, from low income to lack of documented immigration status. One of the most concerning vulnerable populations observed was pregnant patients. Five years ago, the IU-SOC addressed this via creation of Women’s Health days on Saturdays every other month and in 2020 by creating an as needed prenatal clinic. However, the need still existed for general, non-prenatal women’s health concerns, which led to the expansion to a twice monthly general women’s clinic staffed by a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist (OB/GYN). Methods/Interventions: In April 2021, twice monthly scheduled clinics were implemented for two hours on Wednesday evenings staffed by OB/GYNs or obstetrics-trained family medicine physicians. Additionally, the team available on Wednesday clinics expanded to include a women’s health specific clinic manager, women’s health patient navigator to facilitate referrals, and women’s health education specialist to address low health literacy. Results: In 2021, 15 women’s health clinic days have been hosted since April,expanding beyond prenatal patients and resulting in increased volume of this clinic. There were a total of 36 patient encounters from 31 different patients including eight pregnant patients. Other chief concerns addressed at the clinic included: infertility/preconception counseling, abnormal uterine bleeding, pelvic pain/mass, vaginal itching, dyspareunia, and preventive women’s health visit. Six patients received pap smears and sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening. Low pap smear and STI screening rates at the women’s health clinic are attributed to the presence of women’s health fourth year student representatives at general clinic days ensuring most patients receive pap smears and STI screenings prior to referral. Conclusion: We implemented a twice-monthly, referral-based women’s health clinic in 2021 that has successfully provided care for 31 different patients including eight pregnant patients for a variety of chief concerns and preventive care encounters. The presence of a certified OB/GYN has ensured appropriate management of prenatal and primary care women’s health issues. Consistent provision of women’s health care services helps to mitigate the many barriers to women’s health care in our Indianapolis community

Management of Severe Coarctation of the Aorta During Pregnancy

An 18-year-old primigravida woman underwent emergent percutaneous balloon stent repair of a severe coarctation of the aorta, allowing her to undergo an uneventful remaining pregnancy and the delivery of a healthy baby. Her case also demonstrates the association between maternal coarctation and fetal Shone complex. (Level of Difficulty: Beginner.

Sex differences in lifespan extension with acarbose and 17‐α estradiol: gonadal hormones underlie male‐specific improvements in glucose tolerance and mTORC2 signaling

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140036/1/acel12656.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140036/2/acel12656_am.pd

The effects of age on substrate depletion and hormonal responses during submaximal exercise in hamsters

Senescent hamsters display a marked reduction in volume of voluntary running. The purpose of this study was to determine whether age differences exist in the pattern of fuel utilization during submaximal exercise, which may account for the reduction in voluntary running. Further, we determined the effects of age on muscle oxidative capacity to assess its relationship to endurance performance in senescent hamsters Depletion of carbohydrate and lipid content of skeletal muscle and liver, and changes in blood concentration of various hormones and substrates during one hour of exercise at 60 percent of VO2 max served to assess age effects on utilization of metabolic substrates. Exercise produced equivalent depletion of muscle glycogen and similar rise in plasma free fatty acids in young and old hamsters. No exercise effects on skeletal muscle triglyceride concentration or on plasma glycerol, glucagon or catecholamine concentrations were noted. With palmitoyl carnitine as substrate (but not with pyruvate) State 3 respiration of cardiac and skeletal muscle homogenates was lower in old compared to young hamsters. Although old hamsters have a reduced capacity to oxidize lipids in vitro, few age differences in fuel use are evident in vivo during submaximal exercise. Thus, these minor age differences in substrate utilization do not likely account for the substantial reduction in the levels of spontaneous running in senescent hamsters.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/26840/1/0000400.pd

Identification of ejaculated proteins in the house mouse (Mus domesticus) via isotopic labeling

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Seminal fluid plays an important role in successful fertilization, but knowledge of the full suite of proteins transferred from males to females during copulation is incomplete. The list of ejaculated proteins remains particularly scant in one of the best-studied mammalian systems, the house mouse (<it>Mus domesticus</it>), where artificial ejaculation techniques have proven inadequate. Here we investigate an alternative method for identifying ejaculated proteins, by isotopically labeling females with ¹⁵N and then mating them to unlabeled, vasectomized males. Proteins were then isolated from mated females and identified using mass spectrometry. In addition to gaining insights into possible functions and fates of ejaculated proteins, our study serves as proof of concept that isotopic labeling is a powerful means to study reproductive proteins.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We identified 69 male-derived proteins from the female reproductive tract following copulation. More than a third of all spectra detected mapped to just seven genes known to be structurally important in the formation of the copulatory plug, a hard coagulum that forms shortly after mating. Seminal fluid is significantly enriched for proteins that function in protection from oxidative stress and endopeptidase inhibition. Females, on the other hand, produce endopeptidases in response to mating. The 69 ejaculated proteins evolve significantly more rapidly than other proteins that we previously identified directly from dissection of the male reproductive tract.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study attempts to comprehensively identify the proteins transferred from males to females during mating, expanding the application of isotopic labeling to mammalian reproductive genomics. This technique opens the way to the targeted monitoring of the fate of ejaculated proteins as they incubate in the female reproductive tract.</p

Mammalian reproduction overview

The sophisticated control systems that govern reproduction in mammals are usually aimed at ensuring that offspring are born at favourable times of year. Although recent trends in reproductive biology research have tended to become ever more reductionist and focused on cellular and molecular details, we have taken the view in this article that it is equally important to take a step back from this level of detail. We have therefore provided an overview, albeit rather brief, that links reproductive biology with the evolutionary and environmental backgrounds in which this diverse assemblage of species have had to survive and adapt

Multivariate analysis of FcR-mediated NK cell functions identifies unique clustering among humans and rhesus macaques

Rhesus macaques (RMs) are a common pre-clinical model used to test HIV vaccine efficacy and passive immunization strategies. Yet, it remains unclear to what extent the Fc-Fc receptor (FcR) interactions impacting antiviral activities of antibodies in RMs recapitulate those in humans. Here, we evaluated the FcR-related functionality of natural killer cells (NKs) from peripheral blood of uninfected humans and RMs to identify intra- and inter-species variation. NKs were screened for FcγRIIIa (human) and FcγRIII (RM) genotypes (FcγRIII(a)), receptor signaling, and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), the latter mediated by a cocktail of monoclonal IgG1 antibodies with human or RM Fc. FcγRIII(a) genetic polymorphisms alone did not explain differences in NK effector functionality in either species cohort. Using the same parameters, hierarchical clustering separated each species into two clusters. Importantly, in principal components analyses, ADCC magnitude, NK contribution to ADCC, FcγRIII(a) cell-surface expression, and frequency of phosphorylated CD3ζ NK cells all contributed similarly to the first principal component within each species, demonstrating the importance of measuring multiple facets of NK cell function. Although ADCC potency was similar between species, we detected significant differences in frequencies of NK cells and pCD3ζ+ cells, level of cell-surface FcγRIII(a) expression, and NK-mediated ADCC (P&lt;0.001), indicating that a combination of Fc-FcR parameters contribute to overall inter-species functional differences. These data strongly support the importance of multi-parameter analyses of Fc-FcR NK-mediated functions when evaluating efficacy of passive and active immunizations in pre- and clinical trials and identifying correlates of protection. The results also suggest that pre-screening animals for multiple FcR-mediated NK function would ensure even distribution of animals among treatment groups in future preclinical trials